Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
How do I drink less without quitting completely? What's the difference between alcohol-free, low alcohol, and no alcohol drinks? Why can't I handle alcohol like I used to? How do I cut back when everyone around me is still drinking? Why do alcohol-free drinks cost so much?
If you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s or beyond and asking these questions, this is your podcast.
Welcome to the essential show for midlife adults who want to drink less, on their own terms—without the pressure to quit completely, follow rigid rules, or label themselves as sober.
I'm Denise Hamilton-Mace, your mindful drinking mentor, magazine editor, writer and public speaker on all things low, no and light. Each week, I help stressed parents and busy midlife adults navigate their relationship with alcohol through practical approaches grounded in real-world experience and behaviour change strategy, not willpower or wellness culture
What you'll get:
Mindful Moderation Solo Episodes – Deep-dives answering the questions that matter to sophisticated drinkers who want to moderate smartly:
- How do I cut back when my partner still drinks at home?
- Why do premium alcohol-free drinks cost the same as full-strength versions?
- How do I navigate social situations when I'm the only one moderating?
- What really works: willpower vs. strategy?
Drinks 101 Mini-Series – Short educational episodes demystifying the confusing world of low and no alcohol drinks:
- What does ABV actually mean?
- What's the real difference between non-alcoholic, alcohol-free, low alcohol, and light beer?
- How are alcohol-free drinks made?
- Which drinks are safe for pregnancy, driving, or recovery?
Meet the Makers – Intimate conversations with the founders, brewers, distillers, and visionaries creating the premium drinks and experiences that support your moderation goals.
This podcast is for you if:
- You want drinks that taste like the ones you already love
- You're looking for practical advice that fits your demanding life, not another wellness overhaul
- You recognise that coasting with mid-strength drinks, zebra-striping, or bookending your evening with something non-alcoholic are all valid strategies
- You want better mornings without giving up celebrating life's special moments
This isn't about going completely dry or reinventing yourself. It's about keeping energy for what matters most: family, health, career, and living life on your own terms.
Join the moderation revolution happening in midlife – because while Gen Z gets the headlines, you're the one actually doing it.
Mindful Drinking & Moderation in Midlife: How to Drink Less, On Your Terms
Mindful Drinking Advent 23: Travel Tactics for a Clear Arrival
GET READY FOR YOUR BEST (ADULT) CHRISTMAS YET & GET YOUR FREE MINDFUL DRINKING ADVENT CALENDAR AT http://mindfuldrinkingadvent.com/
On Day Twenty-Three of the Mindful Drinking Advent, we focus on travel days — one of the most overlooked trigger points of Christmas.
From packed trains and traffic jams to airport bars and trolley services, this episode explains why planning ahead matters if you want to arrive feeling energised rather than depleted.
You’ll hear practical travel tactics, from bringing your own “journey juice” to setting expectations with hosts in advance, so the festivities don’t start with exhaustion before you’ve even unpacked.
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You can email me at denise@lownodrinkermagazine.com
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🗣️ Join the growing community on Substack
https://lownodrinker.substack.com/
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🌱 Reset the way alcohol shows up in your life with the 4 Week Midlife Mindful Drinking Reset
https://www.lownodrinker.com/4weekreset
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🧮 Drinking Impact Calculator: Find your personal tipping point
https://mindfuldrinkinginmidlife.com/products/drinking-impact-calculator
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🧐 Take the quiz and find out what's REALLY driving your midlife drinking habits
https://www.lownodrinker.com/
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*Some links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Low No Drinker may earn a commission. Thank you.
It's day 23 of our mindful drinking audio advent, and today we're talking about travel tactics. So yesterday we were looking at hosting at home, but today we're looking at those times when you might be traveling to somebody else's home. So travel days can be a testing time. We all know that travel, particularly with kids, is hard. They don't listen, perhaps they're running around, they don't move fast when you need them to move fast. Um, so it can be stressful, particularly if you're like me, and terrible at timekeeping. So you're always running late for things, no matter how hard I try. Um, and then especially at Christmas time when there are so many other people traveling as well. So whether you're driving and the motorways are jam-packed, uh the train stations are full, there's just so much to contend with. And there is always, particularly if you're going by public transport, uh, there's always a pub or duty-free shop or trolley service or or something like that on your way to your travel utility, whether it's by the train stations, whether it's on the train or on the plane itself, there's always somewhere that you can get yourself a drink. And the temptation is to think, well, sod it, travel is awful, and I have earned this, and maybe you have, but do you want to arrive at your destination already foggy, already feeling subpar? Or do you want to start your Christmas in this new location feeling rejuvenated and excited and ready to go? Drinking whilst traveling has particularly flying, particularly flying. I always found that when I drank alcohol on an aeroplane, it had some very strange effects on my body. I'm presuming it's something to do with the pressure and the compression. Uh, I'm sure someone out there can tell me. Please drop me an email and let me know. I'm fascinated as to know why I always felt nauseous as soon as I had alcohol on a plane. It it didn't stop me, but I always felt terrible. Um, but yeah, it does. It leaves you feeling tired and dehydrated and like you've spent all your energy before you've even got where you're going. And then you get off the plane or you get off the train, you get out of the car if you're sort of the passenger, and you're just like, oh, I feel sticky, I need to have a shower, I'm I need to go to sleep. And that's not really what you want. Traveling is like running a gauntlet in December, but you can get through and arrive with your intentions intact. You just need to plan. So bring your own drinks with you. If you know that you are going to be tempted to get the trolley service, to pop into MS at the train station, make sure you've got some low no and light, um, ready-to-drink drinks with you, whether those are beers, pre-made cocktails, uh, little mini wines or whatever it is. Make sure you've got those with you in your little cooler bag that you take on picnics. Yeah, those are great. Great for traveling. Um, protect your energy, stay hydrated. Um, when you get to your destination, take a moment before you just accept whatever drink is thrust into your hand by a well-meaning host, and be clear about what you want to have and how you want this time to go. Um, bringing your own journey juice for the actual travel is an easy win, as I've said. If you don't have anything with you to bring, maybe you've drunk all your drinks already. Um, railway stores and that sort of thing now have a really good selection, actually. So, right there, um, and it's just a matter of how well you think you can handle the temptation, because right there next to the pre-mixed uh JD and Cokes will be pre-mixed alcohol free gen and tonics or mojitos or bellinis. Um, so many brands now are in the low, no, and light space are producing sample sizes or individual serving sizes, and they're putting them into places like train stations and airports so that people can have them on the go because they know that that's where people are demanding them. Um, ask your family or ask the people who you're going to visit this Christmas to make sure they've ordered some low-no drinks for you. Don't feel awkward about doing this, okay? You are perfectly within your right, particularly if your friends or family that you're going to are full-strength drinkers themselves. If they are big drinkers, they are not going to know what to get you. They are not going to think to plan ahead and make sure that you've got a good selection of drinks that you can enjoy for the time that you're going to be staying with them. So, two things you can do here: one, tell them, give them a call before you're coming. You know, obviously give them a bit of notice and say, look, if you go to this place online or if you go into this supermarket, can you grab me a few of this, that, and the other, and then I'll be absolutely fine for Christmas. Or better still, your second option is to place your own order. Why not? Order yourself some drinks from Wise Bartender or Dry Drinker and have them delivered to wherever it is that you're going. Uh, obviously, if you're going international, that's a different thing. Um, you can order from whatever is the local alcohol-free online retailer where you are, and that they are prolific all over the place at the moment. Um, but order them, choose what you want, have them delivered to your friend's house so you don't have to travel with them yourself. And this does two things. One, it takes the pressure off the host. So they don't have to worry about getting you the wrong thing. Uh, you're picking exactly what you want. And two, it educates them. They will see what's uh available, they'll get the box, they'll open it up, and they'll be like, oh, okay, this is what they like. And next time you come, whether that's for Christmas or for summer or just for a weekend, they will have no excuse not to make sure they've got some of those amazing drinks ready for you. Behind today's door on the Mindful Advent, I've shared a few journey juice options. I heard that phrase a while ago and I really like it. I'm keeping it. Uh, some journey juice options that you can find at most uh railway station shops, everything from uh GTs to uh my hub, my husband's favorite travel alcohol-free lager, uh, to some cocktails in a can. So go and check those out. And where uh feasible, there is discounts that you can use, but obviously, if you're buying them from the uh physical shops, then you'll just have to pay whatever they charge you. That's it for today. I will see you tomorrow for day 24. That's Christmas Eve. Also happens to be my mum's birthday. Until tomorrow, cheers to a Christmas less intoxicated.
